ThinkMetal, an advanced materials and manufacturing technology company, has raised ₹27 crore in a funding round led by IAN Alpha Fund, the second venture capital fund launched by the IAN Group. The round also saw participation from 3i Partners and existing investors.
The company will deploy the fresh capital towards product development, expanding its materials portfolio and research and development (R&D) capabilities, strengthening its team and accelerating commercial adoption of its technology among industrial customers.
Founded by Sabyasachi Ghosh and Arushi Sharma, ThinkMetal is developing indigenous technologies for high-value precision manufacturing, with a focus on reducing production time, costs and dependence on imported technologies for critical industrial applications.
Targeting high-value precision manufacturing
Manufacturing precision metal parts, tools and components for demanding industrial applications often involves expensive tooling, specialised equipment, long lead times and reliance on imported technologies. ThinkMetal aims to address these challenges through an integrated technology platform combining advanced materials, manufacturing processes, industrial systems and application development.
Its current commercial offering is SistemT1, an industrial metal additive manufacturing system designed to enable faster and more flexible production of precision metal components.
SistemT1 is powered by the company’s proprietary FuseX metal filament technology, which forms part of its expanding portfolio of materials and manufacturing process intellectual property (IP).
According to IAN Alpha Fund, ThinkMetal’s platform can enable manufacturers to produce high-value precision metal parts up to 10 times faster and at half the cost. The company also said part quality has been tested at laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
ThinkMetal has filed more than 17 IPs, according to the investor.
From technology development to commercialisation
The company has progressed from technology development to enterprise application-led pilot projects and is now working towards larger commercial deployments.
Alongside scaling its manufacturing system, ThinkMetal is expanding its materials library and developing in-house capabilities to process and develop new materials. Its strategy is to build technology and IP across materials, manufacturing processes and industrial applications rather than rely on a single machine or product.
The company serves industrial manufacturers requiring qualified, high-value precision manufacturing for mission-critical applications across aerospace, defence, space, automotive and electric mobility.
ThinkMetal estimates the global opportunity across advanced manufacturing and materials at approximately $110 billion.
Focus on indigenous deep-tech capabilities
ThinkMetal Co-founder and CEO Sabyasachi Ghosh said the investment would help the company move from technology development towards commercialisation.
“We’ll use this capital to strengthen our product development, expand our team and materials capabilities and accelerate adoption across industrial applications. Our long-term focus remains on building deep indigenous capabilities in materials and manufacturing technologies from India for global markets,” he said.
IAN Alpha Fund Managing Partner Rajnish Kapur said ownership of core materials and manufacturing technologies was important for building industrial capabilities at a national level.
“ThinkMetal is building toward that for India in metal additive manufacturing, with an integrated stack of indigenous hardware, proprietary materials and manufacturing technology,” he said.
Kapur said the combination of hardware, materials and process technologies, supported by the company’s growing IP portfolio, could help create a deeper domestic technology base for high-value precision manufacturing.
Building a global materials technology platform
While metal additive manufacturing is ThinkMetal’s immediate commercial focus, its long-term ambition is to develop into a global materials innovation and intelligence company.
The company aims to make advanced materials and mission-critical precision manufacturing faster, more accessible and scalable for industrial users, while developing globally competitive technology capabilities in India.
The funding comes as manufacturers seek greater control over critical technologies, supply chains and specialised production capabilities. ThinkMetal’s ability to translate its proprietary materials and manufacturing technologies into repeatable, commercially viable industrial applications will be central to its next phase of growth.